Cuochinprogress’ Christmas recipe

At Christmas, we are all more...good! Good like the desserts that are a must on the festive table. Here is Franco - Cuochinprogress's Christmas recipe, to be enjoyed with a hot drink. Franco has chosen to serve his desserts on our Christmas porcelain tableware, for a complete Christmas atmosphere. 

Let's see how to make cassatelle di Agira, typical Sicilian sweets originating in the town of Agira, in the province of Enna. They are crescent-shaped and are traditionally prepared during the Christmas holidays, but are enjoyed all year round. Their main feature is their soft, aromatic, and sweet filling.

Cassatelle di Agira have ancient origins and are linked to the rural traditions of the Sicilian hinterland. The recipe has undergone few changes over time, maintaining its connection with the cultural roots of the island.

Cassatella is made from a thin, crumbly, and delicate shortcrust pastry. The dough is prepared with flour, sugar, lard, and eggs, giving the dessert a soft but crunchy texture on the outside.

The filling is what makes Cassatelle di Agira unique. It is a dense mixture of toasted and ground almonds, cocoa, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and chickpea flour. The ingredients are mixed together to create a smooth paste with an intense aroma and a spicy, enveloping flavor.

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

• 750 g all-purpose flour
• 250 g lard
• 250 g sugar
• 1 egg (medium, at room temperature)
• 100 ml water (at room temperature)

For the filling:

• 300 g blanched almonds
• lemon zest (untreated)
• 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 60 g sweetened cocoa powder
• 150 g sugar
• 3 g ground cinnamon
• 500 ml water

• 30 g powdered sugar, as needed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Place the flour and lard in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Begin to knead the dough until you obtain crumbs. Add the sugar, egg, and water at room temperature.

Continue to mix all the ingredients until you have a smooth, soft dough. You can make the dough by hand, but if you have a mixer, you will save time and effort.

Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Proceed to prepare the filling. 

First, toast the peeled almonds in a preheated oven at 180°C for 5 minutes or until they begin to sweat. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Place the almonds and the zest of half a lemon in a food processor. Then chop everything until you obtain a flour.

Transfer to a saucepan and add the unsweetened cocoa powder, sweetened cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir the powders to remove any lumps and add the room temperature water a little at a time.

Stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon over low heat, cook and thicken for about 15 minutes. You should obtain a fairly dry mixture. This is essential for the success of the dessert.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the sifted chickpea flour and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature.

Then transfer to the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Dust the work surface with flour and quickly knead the pastry to soften it slightly. Then roll it out to a thickness of 4 mm. Using a 10 cm pastry cutter, cut out lots of circles.

Spread them out slightly with a rolling pin and place a little of the mixture in the center. If the filling is too hard, add a little water to soften it.

Close the Agira cassatelle like ravioli, being careful not to pierce them, and seal the edges well. Then finish them off with a serrated pastry cutter.

Place the cassatelle di Agira on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated static oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. They should remain light in color, so remove them from the oven immediately after baking and leave them to cool. 

When they have cooled, dust them with icing sugar and cinnamon.